Counter molding machine



3 Sheets-Sheet l A/VENTUPS.

May 2, 1944 L. H. BENNION ET AL COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE Filed June 12,1943 y 2, Y L. H. BENNION ET AL 48,105

COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE Filed June 12, 1943 s Sheets- Sheet 2 M y 1944-L H. BENNION ET AL 2,343,105

COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE Filed June 12, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedMay 2, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COUNTER MOLDING MACHINE LeslieHugh Bennion and William Arnold Smart, Leicester, England, assignors toUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application June 12, 1943, Serial No. 499,572 In GreatBritain May 15, 19.42

3 Claims. 01. 12-966) This invention relates to a machine for shapingshoe part blanks, and is herein illustrated as embodied in a countermolding machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters PatentNo. 2,118,393, granted May 24, 1938, upon an application filed in thename of L. H. Bennion et al.

Counters, heretofore used as means for stiffening the heel portions ofshoes, are commonly made from fiberboard blanks, each of which is shapedto conform to the heel end of a last and has an inturned flange whichextends beneath the heel and usually forms part of the heel seat of theshoe. In assembling the counter with the upper and the lining, in whichoperation the counter is usually placed between the upper and lining, itis common practice to bend the flange outwardly ,in order to facilitatethe assembly Of the parts. When the counter is not in temper, thebending of the flange is likel .to result in the breaking of the counteradjacent to the flange or hinge line thereof, with the result that thefinished shoe .is defective. More recently it has been proposed to makeuse of an open flange counter, which has been molded in the usual Waybut in which the flange has been bent outwardly While the counter fblankis still in temper, so that the finished counter can be readilyassembled with the upper and lining, and, during the lasting operation,at which time the upper and co nter are in temper, the marginal portionsof the counter canreadily be bent over along the hinge or flange linewithout destroying-the counter.

;It'is an object of the present invention to provide an improved countermolding machine in which there is mechanism for producing open flangecounters. To this end and as shown, the invention comprises a countermolding machine, in which there are molds for shaping the body portionof a counter blank and a flange former for wiping the dense over theface of one .of the molds, together with a memb r formin a part of oneof the molds and Operable subsequently to a flange forming operation toforce the flange outwardly while the counterblank is still positionedbetween the molds.

These and other features of the invention are disclosed in the followingspecification and in the accompanying drawings, and are set forth in theclaims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of a countermolding machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of Parts of mechanism for controllingthe operation of the flange openin mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through the male mold showing theflange opening member in advanced position;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are cross sectional view through the molding mechanismshowing the parts in the positions, respectively, which they occupyduring the body molding operation, the flange forming operation, and theflange opening operation;

Fig. .8 is a perspective view of an open flange counter for mens shoes;and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of .an open flange counter for womensshoes.

The present invention has to do with theshaping of open flange counters,such as those indicated by reference .characters .90 and 92 in 8 and 9,that in Fig. 8 being for .use in mens shoes, and in Fig. 9 for women'sshoes. In each instance the counter .comprises a body portion 94 and acrimped marginal portion 96, extending alone a w ll defined hinge orflan e ne 98.

A counter molding machine for producing such counters, and in which thepresent invention is embodied, s shownin Fi The ma hine mprises a frameIn in which are positioned for movement relatively to each other a malemold I2 and a female mold l4, anda flange jormer 15 arranged to moveover the face of the male mold to form a flange upon a counter blankpositioned between the molds. The male mold is carried upon a tableI8'and arranged for movement to.- ward and away from the female mold L4by a lever 20 operated by a pitman ,22, which is oscillated by a driveshaft 2.6. The flange former is moved across the faces of the molds by arocking lever 28 actuated by a rod 30 operatively connected to theshaft2.6 by a crank 21. The con.- struction and operation .of the arts thusfardescribed are disclosed in the aforementioned United States LettersPatent, to which reference may be had for a more .detailedexplanation.

T e mechanism for opening the flan e of .a ounter ,blank, wh e it isstill p sition .beween th mal and female molds, pomprises a plate '32,Fi s- 4, 5, 6 and positioned in a .recess 34 in the outer face of themale mold [2. The plate has projecting ears 36, which are mounted upon arod or pivot 38, so that the plate may be swung outwardly of the malemold in carrying out the flange opening operation. The

plate 32 is normally maintained in the recess flush with the face of themale mold by a spring 40, positioned in a bore 42 in the lower portionof the mold and engaging the lower portion of the plate, thereby to tendto force it in a clockwise direction about the pivot 38.

The plate 32 is moved outwardly about its pivot by means of a plunger44, which is slidably positioned in an opening 45 in the upper end ofthe male mold and is arranged to be moved outwardly by a rod 48,slidably mounted in an opening 49, in the frame, and extendinghorizontally toward the rear of the machine.

The rod 48 is actuated by mechanism best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Thismechanism includes a roll 53 positioned upon the inner end of the rod 48and arranged to be engaged by a wiped the marginal portion over theplate 32, forming a flange 96 on the blank. As shown in Fig. 7, theflange former has been retracted and the rod 48 acting through theplunger 44 has forced the plate 32 outwardly about its pivot 38, thusopening the flange 96 to produce the finished counter. It is to be notedthat during these operations the counter blank .is in temper, and,consequently, the formation of the flange and then the opening of theflange can be accomplished without likelihood of breaking the counter.The opening of the flange occurs about the flange or hinge line 98,which constitutes the edges of the body-portion gripped between the cam52 fixedly secured to a horizontal transverse 3 rock shaft 54, which ismounted to turn' in bearings in a bracket 58 secured to the frame In.The rock shaft carries a pawl 58 (Figs. 2 and 3), by means of which theshaftis rocked, and a collar 63 (Fig. 3), which is normally urged tomovethe shaft in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 2) by a spring 62,with the result that the pawl is normally urged upwardly against a stoppin 64 on the bracket 56. At the rear of the machine mounted upon apivot 66, there is a lever 68, which carries a second pawl Hi arrangedin alinement with the pawl 58. The lever 68 is normally pulled upwardlyby tension springs 12 causing the lever to contact a stop pin 14 on themachine frame. The pawl i is pivotally mounted upon a screw 7', therebeing a coil spring 18 surrounding the screw normally to hold one end ofthe pawl down against a stop 88 on the lever 68. 7

Upon the rod 39, which operates the flange former it, there is mounted abracket 82 held "in position thereon by bolts 84. This bracket "carriesa roll 83, which, because of the rocking motion of the ends of the rod38, moves in a 'olosedcurved path indicated by reference character 88(Fig. 2). The path cfmovement of this roll is such thatupon upwardmovement of the rod 30, resulting in a'downward movement of the flangeformer, the roll passes around the end of the lever. 63 withoutcontacting it, but upon downward movement of the rod 3!! the roll 86will engage the outer end of the lever 68 to move it downwardly, thusbringing the pawl i0 into engagement with the pawl 58 and effecting a.rocking of the shaft 54, which through the cam .50 forces the rod 48 ina direction to cause the plate 32 to move outwardly from the face of themale mold. After a comparatively small movement of the'lever 68 in adownward direction,

the pawl 10 drops off the end of the pawl 58, releasing it with theresult that the spring 40 ispermitted to returnthe plate 32 to itsinitial position. v, The operation of the molds I2 and I4 and the plate32 is best illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. As

'shown in Fig. 5, the molds have gripped a counter blank 91 and haveshaped the body portion thereof.

molds adjacent to the outer faces thereof.

Whenthe molds are separated and the plate 32 returned to its normalposition in the recess '34, there is some tendency for the flangeportions 96 to spring back toward the position they assumed after thewiping operation, but the opening action of the plate is sufficient toensure that the flange occupies aposition close to that which itoccupied before the wiping operation, the finished counter being shownin Fig. 8.

Having described the invention, what We claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a counter molding machine having molds for shaping the bodyportion of a counter blank, the combination with said molds of poweroperated means for bending the marginal portion of the counter blankfirst inwardly to form a flange and then outwardly to open the flange.

2. A counter molding machine comprising a male mold, a female mold,power operated means for effecting relative movements of the molds toform the body portion of a counter blank-positioned between the molds, aplate pivotally mounted upon the male mold and forming a face thereon, aflange former movable across the plate to wipe edge portions of theblank over the plate to form a flange on the blank, power operated meansfor actuating the flange former, a member 'slidably mounted in the malemold for effecting outward movement of the plate to open the flange ofthe blank, and means associated with the power operated means foractuating said member subsequently to the flange forming operation.

3. A counter molding machine comprising a male mold, a female mold,means for effecting relative movements of the molds toward and away fromeach other in shaping the, body portion of a counter blank, a plateforming the outer face of the male mold and pivotally mounted thereon, aflange former movableacross the plate for wiping edge portions of thecounter blank over the plate, power operated means including a lever foractuating the flange former, and means for rocking the plate outwardlyto open the flange of the counter blank comprising a rod, a cam inengagement with the rod, a shaft upon which the cam is mounted, a'pawlon the shaft, a lever for engaging the pawl to-rock the shaft, and meanscarried by the member for actuating the flange former constructed andarranged to engage the last-mentioned lever subsequently to a flangeforming operation to effect an operation of the rock shaft.

LESLIE HUGH BENNION. v WILLIAM ARNOLD "SMART.

